Being inspired

ing experience. It is constantly evolving and hopefully always bettering itself. In order to do a great job of conceptualizing any project, you have to be inspired at all levels.

Inspiration comes to us in many different forms. The most obvious examples are other operations, chefs and restaurateurs that we aspire to be compared to, but inspiration also comes from less obvious places. We can be inspired by regions, our travels, types of food or cuisine, a theme, our team members, even our guests and their ideas. Pesto Bistro and Wine Bar actually has a much different menu than originally envisioned because I was inspired by the prior owners and how wellreceived their menu was by the local area.

When it comes to the menu, I do enjoy letting the ingredients inspire me in the creation of each dish. Quite often, I have

4 ounces pinot grigio

6 ounces heavy cream a guest ask what my favorite item is, and I always have the same response: “It is difficult because I put all of them on the menu and they wouldn’t be there if I didn’t like them.” It is actually easier for me to choose a favorite on the wine list. I feel this way because I believe a person’s taste in wine (similar to what moves us over art) is extremely subjective. We did try every one of the wines on our list (and probably another three for each of the ones that made the cut) and do like them all! Inspirations for the wines come from finding standouts from interesting locations and finding something special that you are not going to come across at the grocery or wine store.

One final thought: Inspiration can be mistaken for influence. If the influence has any emotional tie to your decision, in my mind it has become inspiration.

Kosher salt and white pepper to taste

Directions

24 each 16-20 count (large) shrimp, peeled and deveined

2 ounces roasted garlic cloves

2 ounces EVOO

2 tablespoons sun-dried tomato pesto

1 tablespoon chopped Italian parsley

Sauté shrimp with garlic and parsley in EVOO with sun-dried tomato pesto, add wine and cream and slightly reduce, adjust seasoning. Lightly sauté blanched rapini (broccoli rabe), lay in bowl, add scoop of polenta, top with sauteed shrimp mixture and finish with a large dollop of sun-dried tomato pesto.

Italian sausage and gorgonzola polenta

2 ounces chopped Italian sausage, cooked

2 ounces gorgonzola

1.5 cups polenta

4.5 cups chicken stock (broth)

Bring stock to a simmer, slowly pour in polenta while mixing, cook for 5-6 minutes, mix in gorgonzola and chopped sausage. Add salt and pepper to taste preference.

Sun-dried tomato pesto

In a food processor, puree to desired consistency the following ingredients:

2 ounces sun-dried tomatoes

2 ounces fresh basil, stemmed

1.5 ounces toasted pine nuts (pignolia)

2.5 ounces roasted garlic cloves; toss in oil and bake at 350 degrees till slightly brown

4 ounces EVOO (extra virgin olive oil)

½ teaspoon salt

2 ounces pecorino Romano